Go ahead, keep counting out Bellator 75's Mike Wessel

The fighter, perhaps best known for a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” is quietly on a 4-1 run that included a recent Bellator-debut victory heading into the promotion’s Season 7 heavyweight tournament tonight.

“In this last fight with Ryan Martinez, I wasn’t even supposed to last a round according to a whole lot of people,” Wessel told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I was supposed to get the s— kicked out of me, you know, but I didn’t.

The tourney features some notable names, but Wessel is focused on his opening-round matchup.

“I know who Brett Rogers and Eric Prindle are, but my focus isn’t on them,” he said. “There are eight guys in this tournament, so I’m not going to start thinking about who the other three semifinalists are going to be until after I win this first fight. I love the tournament format because it puts everyone on an even playing field. It gives someone like me, who a lot of people might consider an underdog, a chance to shock some people. I love that.”

Despite his 4-1 run, which includes three knockout victories, Wessel has been tapped a nearly 3-to-1 underdog. He’s got big-show experience, knockout power and the momentum he generates from the win over Martinez, who had previously defeated NCAA wrestling champ Mark Ellis under the ProElite banner.

But he said the real difference-maker is his motivation.

“My motivation doesn’t come from my haters,” he said. “My motivation comes from my wife and my son. My wife has three children from a previous marriage, so I have a lot of responsibility now. We want to build a house, and I’m sure my dog wants a big yard to play in.

“That’s my motivation. My family is the reason I’m in an elevation mask and I’m sweating my butt off and my legs are shaking when I’m training. I have to succeed. There is no other option. I just have to look at my family and ask myself, ‘Where do we want to be?’ Who couldn’t use an extra hundred thousand dollars, you know.”

Additionally, with the recent retirement of Bellator champion Cole Konrad, the tournament winner could end up with the belt or at least fighting for the title. There’s also the $100,000 in total pay that comes with winning the three-month-long tournament.

“I want my son to be able to look back at what I did in the sport and be able to say, ‘My dad was a champion,'” he said.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.